A problem frequently encountered by cigarette smokers was misplacement of the package of cigarettes, the cigarette lighter, or the ash tray. A combination holding device for conjointly retaining these smokers' articles would thus provide a useful appliance. Another inconvenience of many of the devices of the prior art was the inability to secure those receptacles to a support surface for ready access. This facility was particularly advantageous when it was desired to retain those smokers' articles at selected locations, e.g. at one's work station, on a vehicle dashboard, and in similar surroundings.
Previous attempts to accommodate those situations included a holder, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,237, which was intended for limited securement only to those surfaces compatible with a clip attachment. Similarly, the cigarette lighter support, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,432, was intended to be worn by the user as by attachment to a belt or a shirt pocket. Furthermore, that device was directed to a singular lighter support and not designed for containing a plurality of smokers' articles. A table lighter holder, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,450, also had special application. Another receptacle for a cigarette lighter was shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,763,996 however, that device did not provide a pocket for receiving the lighter and did not include an ash container. A combination case was shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,031,363; that receptacle as noted, did not include separable components nor was it capable of receiving smokers' articles as in the instant invention.